Tour Extension Itinerary – 'Western Andalucia' Overview

Tour Extension Itinerary – ‘Western Andalucia’ 3 days/3 nights

Overview

Our ‘Western Andalucía’ extension takes you to the area of Andalucía near the Portuguese Border, the Cities of Jerez de la Fronter ‘Jerez’, Cadiz, Arcos de la Frontera before returning for a final night in Málaga.

Day 1: JEREZ After breakfast we depart for Jerez. Famous for Sherry, Flamenco and Andalucian Horses, Jerez is the 5th largest City in Andalucia.

Jerez de la Frontera, or simply Jerez, is most definitely known for its production of Sherry in the Bodegas that dot the City and from the vineyards in the surrounding countryside.

Wealthy merchants built palatial mansions in the centre of the City and their Sherry & Brandy Bodegas were established close by.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Vandals and the Visigoths ruled it until the Arabs conquered the area in 711.

In the 11th century it briefly became the seat of an independent Taifa. Some years later 'Abdun ibn Muhammad united it with Arcos and ruled both until in 1053 it was annexed to Seville.

In the 12th and 13th Centuries, when the Almohads conquered the city, Jerez underwent a period of great development, building its defence system and setting the current street layout of the old town.

In 1231 the Battle of Jerez took place within the town's vicinity, Christian troops under the command of Álvaro Pérez de Castro, lord of the House of Castro and grandson of Alfonso VII, King of Castile and León, defeated the troops of the Emir Ibn Hud, despite the numerical superiority of the latter.

After a month-long siege in 1261, the City surrendered to Castile, but its Muslim population remained. It rebelled and was finally defeated in 1264.

The discovery of the Americas and the conquest of Granada, in 1492, made Jerez one of the most prosperous cities of Andalusia through trade and through its proximity to the ports of Seville and Cádiz. After the Phylloxera wine crisis in the 1990s, the City has sought to expand its industrial base. Tourism has been successfully promoted. The

Tour Andalucia International Caserio Castaño|Los Naranjos 5|Mollina|29532|Málaga tel. +34 699 328359 email. [email protected] Reg. B93181758 Tour Operator Licence CIAN 296265-2 Accommodation Licence CR/MA/00621

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City's strong identity as a centre for wine, flamenco, and horses, its popular festivals, MotoGP hosting and its historical heritage have contributed to this success.

Jerez is also the original home of the Carthusian sub-strain of the Andalusian horse breed, known as the ‘Caballo Cartujano’.

In the late 15th Century, Carthusian monks began breeding horses on donated lands. When the Spanish Crown decreed that Spanish horse breeders should breed their Andalusian stock with Neapolitan and central European stock, the monks refused to comply and continued to select their best specimens to develop their own jealously guarded bloodline for almost four hundred years.

Jerez is the home of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, a riding school comparable to the famous Spanish Riding School of Vienna.

The drive to Jerez past Olvera is particularly picturesque. Arriving in the City, we give you a short orientation walk, take a tapas lunch and then you are free for the afternoon.

We recommend taking a tour of a Sherry Bodega in the afternoon.

There is a popular visit at Bodegas Tio Pepe www.bodegastiopepe.com/ or a more private and exclusive visit at Bodegas Tradicion which requires pre-booking www.bodegastradicion.es/index.php/en/

Recommended restaurants for consideration for dinner include:

• Albores

• La Carboná

• Albalá

Day 2: CÁDIZ After breakfast After breakfast we depart for Cádiz. A short journey of just 30 minutes.

Check-in to your hotel, or drop off your luggage if the rooms are not yet ready, and we will give you a short orientation walk around Cádiz.

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We will walk into the impressive main square with the town hall depicting the coat of arms of Hercules, the lion and the pillars and then walk around to the very old walls which encompass the original City and the oldest barrios/districts of El Pópulo, La Viña and Santa Maria.

We will stop at the fascinating Roman Theatre for a visit before continuing to the exit of the old City in the beautiful Cathedral Square.

From here, we will walk through the shopping district, past the flower market until we reach the bustling market, which is great for some tapas, snacks and to see all the produce.

We will then take you to the Torre Tavira, where they have a superb Camera Obscura.

Cádiz is a long peninsula and if you purchase the 24 hour City Tour Bus Pass, it is a good way of transport to move about the City, since you can hop on and off at many different stops.

Founded around 1104 BC as ‘Gadir’ by Phoenicians, Cádiz is regarded as the most ancient city still standing in Western Europe. The Phoenicians established the port in the 7th century BC. The Phoenician settlement traded with Tartessos, a city-state whose exact location remains unknown but is thought to have been somewhere near the mouth of the Guadalquivir River.

Jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, like the keel of a ship, Cádiz has the cooling breeze of the Atlantic ever present.

It has been the principal home of the Spanish Navy with the famous Armada sailing to invade Great Britain in 1588.

Cádiz has a great central market, which is open in the morning and lunch time and well worth a visit is the Camera Obscura at the top of the Torre Tavira tower.

Since Columbus’ voyage came from around the Cadiz and Huelva area, then many of the Hispanic people in Latin America have roots that go back to this region.

The population of the City of Cádiz is around 120,000 and in recent years it has steadily declined due to a lack of work opportunity.

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It is a delight to wander the atmospheric streets and enjoy the beautiful architecture of the old merchant houses and small plazas.

Hercules is sometimes credited with founding the City after performing his tenth labor, the slaying of Geryon, a monster with three heads and torsos joined to a single pair of legs. Cádiz became the base for Hannibal's conquest of southern Iberia, and he sacrificed there to Hercules/Melqart before setting off on his famous journey in 218 BC to cross the Alps and invade Italy.

Cádiz became a major City in the Roman times, and when visited by Julius Caesar as Junior Senator and when he saw a statue of Alexander the Great there, he was apparently saddened to think that he himself, though the same age, had still achieved nothing memorable. Under Moorish rule between 711 and 1262, the city was called ‘Qādis’, whence the modern Spanish name was derived. A famous Muslim legend developed concerning an "idol" (sanam Qādis) over 100 cubits tall on the outskirts of Cádiz whose magic blocked the strait of Gibraltar with contrary winds and currents, its destruction by Abd-al- Mumin around 1145 supposedly permitted ships to sail through the strait once more. During the Age of Exploration, the city experienced a renaissance. Christopher Columbus sailed from Cádiz on his second and fourth voyages and the city later became the home port of the Spanish treasure fleet. Consequently, it became a major target of Spain's enemies. The 16th century saw a series of failed raids by Barbary corsairs; the greater part of the old town was consumed in a major fire in 1569; and in April, 1587, a raid by the Englishman Francis Drake occupied the harbour for three days, captured six ships, and destroyed 31 others (an event which became known in England as 'The Singeing of the King of Spain's Beard'). The attack delayed the sailing of the Spanish Armada by a year.

Recommended restaurants for dinner include:

• El Faro (one of the most famous restaurants in Spain, but it is expensive)

• El Tío de la Tiza (reservations required)

• Candela

• Arrebol

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Day 3: CÁDIZ to MÁLAGA After breakfast, we will drive to the white town of Arcos de la Frontera. One of Andalucia's most dramatically positioned Pueblos Blancos, Arcos balances atop a rocky limestone ridge, its whitewashed houses and stone castle walls stopping abruptly as a sheer cliff face plunges down to the river Guadalete below.

Declared a national historic-artistic monument in 1962 in recognition of its exceptional architecture and impressive location, the old town is a tangled labyrinth of cobbled streets that lead up to a sandstone castle, the Castillo de los Arcos. We take a coffee break and a have a little wander before making our way to Setenil de las Bodegas where the rocks overhang the buildings.

You can have lunch sitting at the bottom of the gorge cut through the village by the river that runs through it. Have a wander around the village. Named after its once flourishing wineries Bodegas it is said that the Romans used to store their wines in stores cut into the rocks to retain a more constant year round temperature. Unique among the Pueblos Blancos, white villages of Andalucia, it developed out of caves in the cliffs rather than being perched on top of them.

The white houses seem to emerge from the rocks being totally integrated with them..

Then we move on for a short visit to the beautiful Embalses de Ardales Lakes.

The Lakes are a stunning turquoise colour and located in the Andalucían Countryside North of Málaga.

Exceptionally pretty, you can enjoy a little walk or take a drink overlooking them. The visit here allows you to experience more of the varied landscape of Andalucía.

Nearby is the famous El Chorro Gorge with the Caminito del Rey a spectacular walkway built high up into the cliffs.

Leaving the Lakes, we drive down to Málaga for you to check in to your hotel and enjoy a final evening and night ready for you to make your own onward travel or departure the next day.

At this point your Tour Leader will say goodbye.

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What’s included

• All tour transportation in one of our air-conditioned tour vehicles as detailed in the itinerary • Dedicated Tour Leader • 3 nights Bed and breakfast accommodation in high quality hotels • Spanish Sales Tax

What’s not included • Any other meals, drinks, subsistence • Any shows, performances • Monument entrance fees or Wine Bodega Tours • Any flight, train, bus or other transportation • Any expenditure not detailed above

Tour Extension Price Per person Single Supplements

‘Western Andalucia’ 3 days/3 nights £495 £180

Typical Hotels Jerez 4* Palacio Garvey Cádiz 4* Palacio Monte Puertatierra Málaga: 4* MS-Maestranza

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Notes • Our Tour Leaders will give you background information of the Cities and places we visit, but they will not enter the monuments with you. Audio guides are available for rental at the major monuments if you wish to have one • The walking distance during each day can normally vary between 5km and 10km. Wear comfortable shoes, drink lots of water and use sunscreen cream • All bookings are subject to our terms and conditions, a copy of which are included in the booking form • Prices are based on two guests sharing a room • Prices are in £GBP

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